It is the night before the primary election in Illinois and candidates are making a last-minute push for votes. Our Spotlight Politics team of Amanda Vinicky, Paris Schutz and Heather Cherone previews the hottest races in the state.

The show curated by rapper Vic Mensa is called “Skin and Masks.” It was inspired by Frantz Fanon, the influential 20^th century thinker and author of “Black Skin, White Masks.”

For the first time in three years, Northalsted and the surrounding neighborhood will host the city’s Pride Parade.

We visit Northalsted near the end of Pride Month. The 50th anniversary of the landmark Title IX legislation. The latest on ethics reform. And a new journal documents the reality of being transgender.

Researchers say the lives of trans people haven’t been well-represented in existing journals. The Bulletin of Applied Transgender Studies plans to change that. It’s launching as the first academic journal to have an entirely trans editorial board.

An effort to overhaul Chicago’s ethics rules will remain stalled for at least another month, even as Mayor Lori Lightfoot said she has begun negotiating with Ald. Michele Smith, who introduced the measure in April. 

Title IX is turning 50. The law forbids discrimination based on sex in education, and despite its age remains a vital piece in the ongoing push for equality, including in the LGBTQ community.

Some 300 members of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150 — those who are employed by Chicago-area quarries run by Lehigh Hanson, Vulcan Materials Co. and Lafarge Holcim — went on strike June 7.

A showdown in City Council over speed cameras. Previewing the next Jan. 6 Congressional hearing led by an Illinois congressman. A strike's impact on roadwork. And an invasive species gets a rebrand. 

Our Spotlight Politics team discusses damning revelations from the Jan. 6 hearings; the latest on some key primary races with elections less than one week away; And the City Council vote to replace retired Ald. Michael Scott Jr. with his sister, Monique, to represent the 24th Ward.

As Pride month is being celebrated, we’re highlighting people who are making an impact within the LGBTQ community. We visited a homeless haven in Humboldt Park and spoke with a woman who helps LGBTQ youth get housing and build independence.

Over 300 bills affecting LGBTQ rights are being introduced this year in the U.S. according to the Human Rights Campaign. And more than 130 of them specifically target transgender people. Mental health professionals say this is having a significant impact on LGBTQ youth’s access to care and their wellbeing.

Ald. Jason Ervin (28th Ward) led the push to prevent a vote on the measure Wednesday, using a parliamentary procedure to delay a vote until the City Council’s next meeting, scheduled for July 20. That tactic is often used by members of the City Council to push back an up-or-down vote when the outcome is uncertain.